Paul Evans bio

Paul Evans was born October 13, 1984, to Mary and Jacob Evans in Flint, Michigan. Paul was an only child, given to bouts of solitude and brooding from the age of two. He was shy and found it hard to make friends, though when he did, they were usually friends for life.

Paul was an average student, who put forth little effort in school except in classes where he worked with his hands like Shop and Woodworking, where he displayed real talent. His innate sense of aesthetics, particularly for natural elements such as woods or metals, helped him excel in those classes.

When Paul was twelve, his parents divorced. Within a year, his mother found she simply couldn't support herself and her son because his father never made a single child support payment.

After much soul-searching, Mary sent Paul to live with her parents, John and Carlotta Randall, who lived in Yocona, Mississippi. Paul didn't want to leave his mom because he felt she needed him, but he knew she was trying to do the right thing.

His grandmother, Carlotta, was a warm and caring woman, who supported Paul in his artwork. His grandfather, John, had a strong work ethic, which he enforced with Paul. From John, Paul learned that, if you wanted something, you had to work for it and that pursuing frivolous things in life would only make you weak.

His grandfather was a carpenter with his own business, and he took Paul in as an apprentice while he was still in high school. After Paul graduated, he worked for John full time.

When his grandparents passed away within months of each other in 2011, Paul discovered they had left the business to him. Unfortunately, Paul had no head for business and could only generate enough work to support one employee — himself — and he had to let the others go. Paul spent more time creating his artwork than on the business and resigned himself to the fact that he would never be a big success in most people's eyes.

In 2013, he got together with some other Oxford wood-turners and rented space at the County Arts and Crafts Fair. Paul and the other turners each displayed a selection of the wooden bowls, candlesticks, and other items they had created.

At the fair, Paul met a woman, Angela Wilder, who assured him he had great promise as an artist. She encouraged him to do as many pieces as he could and promised that, when he had enough, she would help him put on his own showing. Though it took him almost a year to create enough of a body of work for an entire showing, he did reach his goal.

At the 2014 County Arts and Crafts Fair, Paul again rented space, this time with Angela Wilder's help, and showed exclusively his own works. This first showing was not a financial success, but it did open some doors for him and encouraged him to continue.

Another thing happened at the fair that year, which was even perhaps more significant than the bolstering of his burgeoning career. He met a young professor, Kimberly Pace, and was taken with her from the moment they met. She had all of the qualities that he lacked: she was social, easygoing, funny, and articulate. She also had a real appreciation for artistic works including his. They started dating shortly afterward.

In early 2015, Paul moved in with Kimberly in her home in Oxford. Though the couple felt a deep passion for one another, their relationship was often rocky, primarily because of Paul's jealousies and insecurities. He didn't like her attachments to her students and felt threatened by their lofty discussions. To him, things were either black or white, and he couldn't understand what all the debate was about.

Paul and Kimberly broke up several times throughout their relationship but always got back together. Whenever they split up, Paul never believed they would stay separated because he felt their relationship was Fate. Kimberly was his butterfly, and he was her rock.

When her mother became ill, Kimberly leaned on him, not any of her students or egotistical friends. Even though Paul was not an animal lover, he tolerated Kimberly's obsession with her pets. He also developed a close relationship with Kimberly's younger sister, Becky, who he always thought of as his own little sister.

In addition to his carpentry work and his woodworking endeavors, Paul enjoys tinkering with mechanical things, including old motorcycles. He currently has an old Honda, which he rebuilt himself from a broken-down hunk of junk. Still his favorite mode of transportation, Paul's motorcycle has replaced the aging Ford Escort he used to drive, which was undependable and often broke down.

In his spare time, Paul also enjoys running, swimming, and other individual sports.